Brief Meetings
by GalacticHalfling
Summary: Galdal Omayn remembers the Nerevarine's visits at Ghostgate during his war against Dagoth Ur.
1. Brief Meetings

**Disclaimer: Morrowind belongs to Bethesda. Madseth Llelwyn belongs to me so far as his character isn't determined by the game and its established lore.**

 **Warnings: People talking about traumatic experiences.**

* * *

Galdal Omayn was certain that in the span of the last weeks everyone at Ghostgate had come to respect or even like Madseth Llelwyn. The middle aged mer rarely engaged in idle conversation but still never appeared dismissive.

Some of Galdal's younger Armigers had after some time found the courage to ask him if he would show them some useful skills with the blade - they had all heard about his exploits on Vvardenfell during the last months, how quickly he was rising through the ranks of House Redoran and how artfully he had gained his title as Hortator of Morrowind. Especially his duel with Bolvyn Venim and the deadly grace with which he had defeated the harsh and powerful Archmaster had been the talk of many evenings among the Redoran volunteers.

To the surprise of almost everyone Madseth Llelwyn had easily agreed to the young Armigers' request. That afternoon had been one of the rare times of excitement that came in another form than that of dire news and ever increasing threats from the Sixth House. Galdal had to smile a bit, thinking back to that occasion.

Everyone in the Tower of Dusk who wasn't on duty had found their way into the training room and even some of the more curious Ordinators from the Tower of Dawn had showed up. Everyone wanted to get a glimpse of the Hortator's rumored skill.

They weren't disappointed. Even while doing little more than explaining and demonstrating, it was evident that each of Llelwyn's movements was executed with almost supernatural swiftness and precision. While he looked rather unremarkable most of the time with his shoulder length grey-black hair, slightly hawkish nose and average height, the moment he took a blade into his hands an air of deadly grace surrounded him in a way that led Galdal to the thought - on the danger of being a little blasphemous - that only Lord Vivec himself might outdo this mer - if that.

"I heard that you fight with two swords at a time. Why don't you show us any of those techniques?" one of the volunteers asked.

Llelwyn shrugged. "It's not really possible to integrate any of those moves into other fighting styles. They differ too greatly. And since I doubt any one here has much knowledge in two-weapon fighting considering that it is a rather obscure style I won't waste anyone's time with it."

After that more people dared to ask questions - and while the Hortator kept his answers short and to the point he listened to them all patiently. Only when the questions turned more and more into demands for narrations of his adventures he politely declined, saying that he had no skill as a storyteller.

"Sera", finally one young womer had the courage to ask, "the Temple issued this new doctrine on orders of Lord Vivec himself - Blessed Be His Holy Name - that the Nerevarine prophecies aren't Ashlander superstition after all", the girl sounded as if she still didn't know how to get used to this sudden change - Galdal couldn't fault her, she doubted anyone was doing much better at it. Almsivi worked in mysterious ways. All whispering stopped at the young Armiger's contribution and the entire room listened with even more attention than before as the girl continued slightly insecure due to the sudden focus on her: "Does this mean... have you really once been Saint Nerevar?"

Llelwyn regarded the young Armiger with an unreadable expression and it cost her visible effort not to shrink back under the intensity of his gaze. "Yes", he finally answered simply. "Though", he added like an afterthought. "Many have fought just as valiantly for the good of Resdayn as I did. And I do not know that I was more deserving of being named a Saint than any of them."

§§§

Two days ago Madseth Llelwyn had set forth into the wilds of Red Mountain for the fourth time. But this time was the one. He had declared he would either return when Dagoth Ur was dead or not at all. Ever since he had left Ghostgate had been brimming with hope, worry and anticipation.

Most of Galdal's mer and womer believed Llelwyn capable of anything. But killing a god - or a devil, whatever was the word of choice in this case - seemed such a daunting task that they were greatly afraid for Madseth Llelwyn all the same.

While normally no one liked standing on the watch posts squinting into the constant, blight-ridden ashstorm, during this days a couple of people could always be found huddled there in addition to the official guard on duty. As if standing vigil there would help their hero to return safely.

There wasn't a single person who did not include him in their prayers, although he hadn't made it much of a secret that he shared the backward believes of the Ashlanders.

§

It was the early morning of the 30th of Sun's Dusk that Galdal was woken up by the door of her quarters banging open accompanied by a panicked cry: "The Ghostfence - it's _gone_!"

Noticing more the state of alarm than the actual content of the message Galdal jumped out of bed, donning her armor in record time, before running after the guard who had woken her - asking for clarifications while they were rushing down the hallway.

They came to a halt at the gateway towards Red Mountain where a group of Armigers and Ordinators was already gathered staring at the scene before them.

The first thing Galdal noticed was just what the guard had told her: The ever present hum of the fence had fallen silent - the swirling, glowing barrier was no more. A deep-set dread filled her at seeing this sign of the Tribunal's power - this only protection that stood between Dagoth Ur and all of Morrowind, this fence for that many, many souls had given their strength - simply and utterly _gone_.

But Galdal hadn't risen to her position as Grand Marshal of the Buoyant Armigers for nothing. And so she quickly pulled herself together to examine the situation further.

The second thing she noticed was the weather. Not just the hum of the fence was gone but also the equally constant roaring of the storm. The sky was brilliantly clear. The last stars were visible in the slowly lightening morning sky - and for the first time in her life she had a clear view of the steep slopes of Red Mountain and its jagged, blown off and smoking peak high above.

The blighted ash storms were Dagoth Ur's mark on their land - if they were gone as well... maybe Llelwyn had really done the impossible... maybe - but as of now all of this were mere speculations. For now she had to deal with the situation at hand.

"Brothers and sisters!" she shouted. "I have reason to believe that things might not be as dire as they seem. But even if they are it is still our duty to defend the people of Morrowind to the best of our ability. Built teams to swarm out and check if the ash creatures are using the situation to spread into our territories!"

She was soon joined by Ralyn Othravel and together they coordinated the efforts to keep the situation under control.

All the while Galdal's gaze strayed to the path that led up to the Crater Citadels, hoping for the Nerevarine to return.

§

At noon the first scout teams had returned reporting that while some ash zombies had been found wandering into the surrounding Ashlands there didn't seem to be any coordinated efforts for an invasion - of course it would take many days for the scouts to report back who were sent to circle around to the north of Red Mountain, but the panic of the early morning hours had given way to a tense atmosphere in which everyone awaited news not quite ready to let themselves hope that this news would be good.

That was when a guard shouted: "Someone's coming from the Mountain. I think it's Madseth Llelwyn!"

Galdal hadn't gone far from the watch post herself and so she could easily step next to the guard and watch the approaching figure herself.

The straight backed soldier-like bearing and the mismatched assemble of glass and netch leather armor parts as well as the Daedric Katana at his side were all undoubtedly Llelwyn's.

As he was nearing the Gate he took off his helmet to let the guards see his face. His hair was slightly more disheveled than usual, half healed claw marks were visible on his right cheek and despite his upright posture all his movements spoke of great exhaustion - but he didn't seem to be seriously injured. Of course, knowing that the members of the Sixth House preferred to fight with draining curses that wasn't saying much. Still, just seeing the Hortator walk towards them raised everyone's hopes and spirits.

When he reached the gate which was quickly pulled open for him a crowd had already formed to greet him and to storm him with questions. Galdal hurried to call the group to order and they obeyed. Instead she stepped forward herself. "We greet you warmly, Madseth Llelwyn. To see you return to us gladdens our hearts. What news do you bring from your battle?"

"The source of false divinity is no more. And Dagoth Ur is dead", Llelwyn said evenly. He barely looked at her - or anyone really - as he spoke and just walked past the crowd as if they weren't there. As Galdal glanced at his face she noticed how wide eyed yet almost unmoving, how painfully empty his expression was. It was obvious that he was in a state of shock. Galdal knew well that this wasn't uncommon even for seasoned warriors if what they encountered was horrible enough. But what did surprise Galdal was the edge of pain in his otherwise blank expression that reminded her strongly of those of her fellow Armigers who had seen friends and brothers come to terrible ends right in front of them - it was the look of loss and guilt. But he had gone to this battle alone, hadn't he?

Although Llelwyn wasn't one of the people under her command Galdal still felt that it was her responsibility to offer him support. As he walked away from the crowd she followed him. "Before you rest you should see one of the healers", she said in want for words that might give him comfort from whatever had happened.

"I will", he said still much too calm and detached. "Though I doubt there is a spell to cure what truly ails me... and if there were I wouldn't want it, this pain is mine to bear."

Galdal was almost certain that the second part had been merely a thought spoken aloud, not really meant for her.

"If there is anything I can do for you, let me know."

"Thank you - though I doubt there is", Llelwyn replied. They continued to walk in silence. Galdal noted that Llelwyn at least seemed to follow her advice as he was walking in the direction of the temple.

As they reached the door Llelwyn lifted his hand towards the door handle but stopped in the movement turning towards Galdal instead. "You have been fighting the monsters which haunt Resdayn for a long time and surely must have led many a dangerous operation", he began. It wasn't quite a question, but Galdal nodded anyway, half in confirmation, half for him to continue.

"Tell me: Have you ever failed any of your people - or even a friend - so badly that you not only sent them into death - as any officer has to at some point - but into a fate far worse?"

It was an oddly specific question - and a painful one. Galdal hadn't expected it and so the stab of sorrow it evoked caught her off guard. It must have shown on her face since Llelwyn apologized for his question at once.

"It is alright", Galdal replied. "I will answer your question. There was... one such event. Almost a hundred years ago." She briefly closed her eyes. She hadn't thought of that mission in a long time and while she had made her peace with it, the memories were still emotionally intense. "I had been newly promoted to captain and was assigned the command of a small outpost in Sheogorad. One day we received news of a vampire lair within our patrol area. I sent a troop under the command of my friend Fanara Andrelo to wipe out those monsters - to make it short: It went badly. After that I called for reinforcement and with greater numbers we could defeat the vampires. We found Fanara, but she had been turned. It was I who killed her."

Llelwyn had turned his face away. His hands were curled into fists and his voice shook when he spoke: "So maybe you understand. I, too, had to take the life of a friend. I, too, gave the order that was his doom." Abruptly he turned towards Galdal again, a desperate intensity burning in his eyes. "How? How do you live with that guilt?"

Galdal considered her words before answering: "It's probably not what you want to hear right now. But all pain dulls with time. And eventually forgiving oneself becomes possible."

"Even if that were true - it would mean dishonoring his memory!"

"No one who is truly worthy of our friendship would want us to hurt ourselves for ever for the sake of their memory", Galdal replied softly.

Closing his eyes Llelwyn turned away again. "I - I will see the healer later. I have to be alone", he said in a hoarse voice and walked away so quickly that he was almost running.

Galdal stared after him wondering if she could have said something different. No, she decided, not when she wanted to answer his questions honestly.

She still wasn't certain what had really transpired between Dagoth Ur and the Nerevarine (or Dagoth Ur and Nerevar for that matter) but between Llelwyn's words and her knowledge of certain Apographa accounts of the battle at Red Mountain (a knowledge which came with her position) she could guess. It was a cruel irony that the same deed for which soon everyone would hail Llelwyn a great hero was cause for nothing but grief for him. More so since she doubted any one would understand. Even she who had seen his pain so clearly could hardly imagine that to him Dagoth Ur must have been something more than the devil plaguing Morrowind with blight and madness.

She could do nothing more than wish Llelwyn the best. With a sigh she turned to walk back to the common room - Buoyant Armigers were a merry lot by definition so she wouldn't be surprised if by now her troops were throwing an impromptu celebration party. She had to go back to her duty as commandant and see that things didn't get out of hand.

§§§

That day remained the only time that Galdal had ever truly spoken to the Nerevarine. Maybe it was just coincidence that they never met again outside of official occasions involving her position as Grand Marshal and his as Hortator. Or maybe he avoided her, regretting that he had shared such a vulnerable moment with a virtual stranger. Still the fact remained, as Galdal realized with slight amazement, that though she had talked to Llelwyn for hardly more than five minutes she very likely knew a part of him that no one else did. She only hoped that what she had told him in return had helped him at least a bit.

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 **Author's Note:**

 **The realization that the fall of the Ghostfence must have been very unsetteling for the people at Ghostgate came to me when I read chapter 12 of vanillathunder215's 'Rising from the Ashes' were that situation is described impressively. That scene was also what inspired me to write a piece set at Ghostgate with a non-Nerevarine perspective on his actions myself.**

 **In case anyone is wondering why I refer to Madseth as Llelwyn it's because this story is seen through Galdal Omayn's perspective and unless someone is a close friend it seems to be common among Dunmer to refer to a person by family name.**

 **If anyone knows about the real strengthes and weaknesses of two weapon fighting I would be really grateful if you could give me some hints. I always head-canoned Madseth/Nerevar using it quite often because it looks awesome - but all I know about it are the D &D rules - and googling it only showed the speculations of people just as clueless as me. Therefor I really struggled with Madseth's response in the training room sequence.**

 **Random fact: Madseth's appearance is taken from my main Morrowind character from my first and 100% vanilla playthrough.**

 **As always constructive critisism both for content and language is welcome.**


	2. Outtake: Galdal's Story

**Author's Note: While writing I got carried away with Galdal's story. After all Buoyant Armigers value poetry so she would be good at story telling, right? Unfortunately I realized that such a long narration wasn't fitting the scene. Still I liked how it turned out so I decided to turn it into an outtake.**

* * *

Galdal began slowly: "There was... one such event. Almost a hundred years ago." She briefly closed her eyes. She hadn't thought about that mission in a long time and while she had made her peace with it, the memories were still emotionally intense.

"I had been newly promoted to captain and was assigned the command of a small outpost in Sheogorad. One day we received news of a vampire lair within our patrol area. Through scouting we gained a fair estimation of their numbers. As we were only few in numbers none would have thought worse of me if I had waited and called for reinforcement - but I believed the skill and strength of our mer to be enough. I sent out a troop under the command of Fanara Andrelo whom I knew well and who was a dear friend of many years. She never returned."

"Only two made it back to our outpost, both severely injured, reporting that the vampires' hide out had been riddled with traps of any kind and the strategy and magical prowess of those dark creatures had been far greater than expected. Shaken by this disaster I called for the help we would have needed in the first place. The reinforcements came quickly - it wasn't even four days before we set out to attack the vampires again and avenge our fallen brothers and sisters."

"With a better idea what to expect and with greater numbers the defenses of the lair were quickly overcome and though the fight wasn't easy one by one we killed the vampires. In a dungeon deep within the hideout we found three members of the first troop locked away. Two of them were dead, drained of their blood to the last drop. The third one was Fanara - and as we approached her she attacked us with the wildest look of crazed hunger on her face that I have ever seen. So focused on my pulsing veins was she that she literally jumped into my sword. I can hardly recall what happened afterwards. "

"I spent days in a daze thinking about what I might have done differently. How I should have known to call for reinforcement. How I should have tried to rescue the lost troop the moment I received news of their defeat. I even went to my superior almost begging to be demoted for my ill choices. He told me quite firmly that I had done nothing wrong. At the time I did not believe him. It was only much later that I accepted that nothing short of precognition could have changed my course of action on that fateful mission."


End file.
